A School in Sight

Place: The desert
Time: Close to 8 pm, sun is setting
Music: Lion King OST - This Land (seriously, listen <3 )
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Days later, the expected six days, they were in the desert, wandering around in the setting sun, Kakashi in front. Even though he knew Neal probably couldn't change back on his own right now, he himself had, since the fur was murder in the hard, dry heat.

"Look." he pointed to the horizon, where palm trees were visible. "We'll be there within the next few hours."

Neal, still in his bear shape walked somewhat slower than he had while in the forest, not used to the killing heat or the sand, looked in the direction Kakashi pointed and let out a long breath of relif and made a quick nod.

"Yeah, I know... It's hot like hell, here." there was a reason he'd shifted, after all. "But good thing the sun's going down. It'll be cool when we arrive there. How old are you? I mean, how many winters? Five? Less? More?" he asked, out of curiosity. He believed bears did have a few years more than wolves had, to reach maturity.

"Hot like hell is an understatement.... How are people able to survive here? Nothing but sand and no prey within miles." He shook his head, taking another deep breath. "But to answer your question, four winters, or five, depending on how you look at it. How about you?"

"Seven. My first transformation was right before my fourth winter." he smiled. "And people are able to live here because there's plenty of animals and plants at the Oasis itself. And there are a few reptiles and the likes living in the desert itself... What they eat, I don't know, and I don't think I want to know."

"Seven winters? You don't look that old" He said, sounding slightly amused. "And now when I think about it, I don't really want to know what all these reptiles eat either, the possibilities are just a bit grim for my taste.

"Well. Seems when you get to be a skinchanger, you age like the humans, too. They can get up to, what... Seventy winters old, or something like that."

"Oh we do? Well that explains why you don't look all that old... But wait.... Did you just say that these humans can live seventy winters? You must be pulling my leg with that one!"

"I'm really not. You should see how slow they are to grow up. Eighteen winters before they're adults! It's crazy as hell. Then again, seemingly they're in family with the apes or something, and some of those can get to be forty and fifty winters."

"I still can't quite belive that... How can you be a cub for eighteen winters?! That is a rediculous amount of time! I'm having a hard time believing what you're saying right now."

"I've seen them. I've seen them in all ages. They can't even talk for real, like, real sentences, until they're three winters old. It takes them almost one winter just to learn to walk."

"What.... One winter? ONE WINTER?! Before they know how to walk?! How... How do they even survive for that long if they can't even walk? I.... I'm at a loss of words over this."

"They crawl until then, and their parents, both of them, look after them for at least 14 or 16 winters..." he chuckled. "I'd never, ever get through such a long upbringing... Imagine having your young stick to you for that long."

"I'd rather not imagine that" He said, again with amusement clear in his voice. "But then again, I don't quite get you wolves either, what with your large packs, how do you deal with that?"

"... I don't get how you can keep to just your immediate families, either, you bears..." he ginned. "I mean... For us, it's, well. It's nice, you always have someone there, even if you're angry at your immediate family. And it's a good tactic as well. It's easier to hunt as a pack. Quicker and more efficient."

"Well maybe its quicker and more efficient, but it also gives you a lot more mouths to feed, can't just go the the river and snag a few fish when you're that many.
And see, I think we differ in thought there, always having so many people around you, all willing to take your spot, that doesn't sound good at all, with just your familly you always know where you stand."

"None ever dared to challenge me when I took over the pack after my father." he shrugged. "And there might be more mouths to feed, but I can't take down an elk on my own... Maybe a young deer, but more than that and I need the others. And fish? I've tried. I can't catch them at all."

"Oh you can't? Well then there might be something I can teach you, while I'm getting thought in how to control my shapechangeing" He said while also chuckeling. "And if it comes to it, an elk is really not that hard to take down either."

"Maybe for someone your size, but try being a fourth of your size, and we'll talk. And elk is twice or sometimes thrice as big as me." It looked to only be a mile or two left to the Oasis.

"Maybe, maybe, I did only say it to knock you down a small peg" He said. "I've fond that you wolves need that from time to time."

"Really? How so?"he asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm just saying things the way they are."

"So? Even if you told things like they are, you did sound very arrogant and thus I just felt like knocking you down a small peg."

"... Did I? I didn't notice..." he blinked a little.

He noded. "You did and people rarely do notice when they do"

"Well... It wasn't my intention, so sorry if I did sound arrogant. I never mean to."